Will Hodgman has not denied that Temco at Bell Bay has had its energy supply restricted as a result of the current Basslink outage.
Shadow Energy Minister, David O’Byrne, said Will Hodgman needed to justify how he could consider such a move at a time when Temco’s future was under a cloud.
“Instead of working hard to prevent the closure of Temco and protect the 250 jobs, we hear reports Hydro Tasmania has entered into agreements with major industrial customers, including Temco, to restrict their energy supply,” Mr O’Byrne said.
“This is the last thing Temco needs when it is already considering its future in Tasmania and could have a major impact on its operations.
“Similar load shedding during the Liberal’s 2016 energy crisis cost Bell Bay Aluminium more than $20 million in lost production.
“Guy Barnett has attempted to downplay the latest Basslink outage – the second this year – and was quick to reassure Tasmanians that there is no risk to energy security, just like Matthew Groom did in 2016 before plunging the state into an energy crisis.
“We can’t trust what the Minister says and we want assurances the Government is doing all it can to prevent the closure of Temco and also a repeat of the 2016 energy crisis.”
David O’Byrne MP
Shadow Minister for Energy
